Story-Whose-Name-I-Don't-Know- Yet
by GirlOfLightning
Summary: A 16-year-old girl is found strapped to a table in the middle of nowhere, with a foreign substance in her blood, which may or may not give her powers... Do what you will with this fact. (1st story!) Takes place directly after the Avengers movie.
1. Chapter 1

_"You really must learn to control yourself."_

_Samantha Maria Johnson swam into consciousness. There was a voice... It wasn't her mom's, or her dad's... So why was she hearing it? It had a Scottish accent, deep and penetrating. That tone, laced with amusement, with superiority. Assuming that it knew everything. She tried to sit up, and found she couldn't move. Confused, she opened her eyes. Or... Well... Tried to._

_"Honestly, now. Did you really expect me to let you let you see, let alone move, after what you did on the way here? I thought you were supposed to be smarter than that."_

_Samantha started to struggle, but a searing pain through her abdomen stopped her bids for freedom._

_"That was a warning. You don't know who I am, or what I am capable of. If you have a single ounce of common sense in your body, you will stop now."_

_The voice had changed from amused and light to dark and foreboding in an instant. Whoever this man was, she didn't want to know what he would do if she got him mad. And knowing her knack for pissing people off, she wasn't going to last long._

_"You should be honored that you have been chosen to be the Subject. Countless people would have given their lives to be where you are now."_

_"Strapped to a table, blindfolded? HAH! I don't think so." Sam spat. Apparently whoever had kidnapped her had neglected to give her a gag. Their mistake._

_"You insolent child! You have no idea how long we have worked on this, how long I have worked on this! You are the Subject, you were chosen as the Subject, and no matter what, you will always be the Subject! You have no idea what is going to happen to you! And yet you still struggle! Why? This will begin a new generation, what humankind has been dreaming about since the dawn of time!"_

_"Well, I'm so sorry for not standing still and for trying to fight when a bunch of strange men dressed in black corner me in an alleyway, shove a bag over my head, toss me into a van and knock me out! I mean, it's only what a normal abductee would do!"_

_"This would have been a painless operation, Samantha. But since you choose to struggle, we now have no choice. You brought this on yourself."_

_The room went silent around her. Sam still tried to get out, get away, to do something! It was useless. She heard the whirring of machines around her, and a cold lump of fear settled in her stomach. A needle tip pressed against her arm. Two seconds later, she screamed._


	2. Chapter 2

"...Vital signs are holding steady."

There was white. Everywhere. That was all she could see through her half-closed eyes... Wait. _She could see!_ Finally! Wait again... If Sam could see, then where was she? Her eyes snapped open.

"Oh, you're awake. Good. Can you hear me? If you can, try tapping your finger on the bed. Don't try to talk."

A bed? Why on Earth was she on a bed? She tapped her finger, trying to stem the flow of questions bubbling up inside her. She looked around.

She was in what looked like a hospital room. There were about a million different IVs and wires and other medical stuff hooked up to her. It was kind of creepy. She looked up, seeing a doctor looking down at her. He had dark brown, slightly curly hair and glasses. She looked at him questioningly, as if to say "What am I doing here?"

The doctor looked a little troubled. "Well... I'm not entirely sure you can take the news now, the state you are in. Perhaps later?"

Sam tried to reach up and grab the doctor's coat, ripping several of the IVs out of her skin. She ignored the alarm that started to go out. An astounding amount of soreness enveloped her body. She gritted her teeth, trying to power through it. She grabbed his coat with both fists.

"T-tell me... What happened." She croaked out, her voice low and dangerous. She _had_ to know if her "dream" was real. She _had_ to. The doctor looked extremely tense, as if trying to keep an outburst down. He kept on glancing at the door, as if he was expecting... Oh. Whoops.

A group of security guards burst through the door. They had guns. Lots of them. And they were all pointed... at... her. _Wonderful._

"Samantha Maria Johnson, HANDS OFF DR. BANNER" A voice yelled at her over a megaphone. She slowly lowered her hands away from the doctor's-no, Dr. Banner's-lab coat. She sent a glare over to the security guards. What kind of hospital has that many security guards available to barge into a patient's room at a moment's notice? And why do they have giant guns? Sam was no expert on guns, but these monsters the guards were holding were definitely much bigger than your standard-issue gun. "Keep your hands on the bed and don't do anything foolish. We are prepared to shoot."

"Wait, WHAT?" Oops. She really needed to learn to keep her mouth shut. Oh well. Too late now. The guards bristled. Dr. Banner was muttering with the one who seemed to be in charge. As he pulled away, Mr. Head Guard signaled to the rest, and they trooped out of the room.

Dr. Banner sighed. "Sorry. You really didn't need-"

Sam cut him off. "Wait. You're apologizing to me? Why? I kind of... Grabbed your lab coat... And threatened you..." She was confused. Why was he being so nice to her? And on top of that, where was she? What happened? She voiced these questions again, looking pointedly at Banner. He coughed and looked away.

"Well, to answer your questions in order... Yes, I am apologizing to you, because that was really unnecessary with them threatening to shoot you. I guess I felt kinda bad for you. As for your last questions... Well... Are you sure you are ready to hear the answers? You might end up not too happy." Samantha nodded vigorously. "We found you in an abandoned warehouse, strapped to a table." _Wonderful._ "There were numerous bruises and a large bandage on your left shoulder. Under the bandage was a needle mark. We found traces of a foreign substance in your bloodstream. It is assumed it came from the needle. We took a trace amount of your blood and isolated the substance from everything else. It is undergoing scanning now, we should have results in less than 24 hours. As for where you are... I'm not entirely sure if I can tell you. If I could, I would. I'm sorry."

All Sam could do was sit there, shocked-and (believe it or not) a little relieved. She wasn't going crazy. She didn't imagine it all. But a new wave of questions bubbled up inside her- Who did this to her? Why? She had a feeling that she didn't really want to know. But she asked anyway.

"Well... The man who did this you... He is really dangerous. I would strongly advise against going to find him. Although, honestly, I wouldn't blame you."

"What. Is. His. Name." Sam's voice was dark, dangerous. She needed to know who to did this to her.

"His name is Alastair Von Brown. A Baron of Scotland."

* * *

"It is done, my lord."

Alastair Von Brown, Baron of Scotland, knelt in front of a dais.

"Excellent. Does she know?" The voice emanating from the figure on the throne was deep, with a strange accent.

"No, my lord. All that remains is for the serum to be activated."

The man on the throne leaned forward, green eyes intent and calculating, the dim light glistening off his inky hair.

"Truly, excellent." murmured the God of Mischief.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Iris Milari: Yes, Loki is the God of Mischief. I wanted to try for Baron Von Brown working for Loki (reasons for which are not yet explained), but if that wasn't clear enough, apologies to you and anyone else who was confused! Hopefully this chapter clears things up a bit! **

* * *

Samantha had deduced that she was, in fact, in a hospital, but not a normal one. This was apparently a secret government facility. No one had told her this, but the very fact that no one told her where she was and that she couldn't call-or contact in any way-her parents was more than enough to confirm her suspicions. It had been 10 or so hours since she woke up in the "hospital room". Dr. Banner had brought her food and answered all of her questions-provided they sounded nothing like "Where am I?" or "Can I call my parents?" or even "What is going on?".

She had been unconscious in the "hospital" for about a day before she woke up, and had been in the warehouse for an estimated five days before they found her. All in all, it had been about a week since she had had any kind of contact with her family. Her stomach twisted unpleasantly. They must be worried sick.

"So... What, exactly is stopping me from just walking out of here? Figuratively speaking, of course, also supposing the small army you have just happened to be on coffee break?" Banner sighed, shaking his head and letting a soft smile to slip through. She had been asking him useless questions for the past 30 minutes, after all the puzzle books had been filled up and she had solved the Rubik's Cube at least six of seven times. She loved those things.

"Well, there's this slight problem of you being at least 30,000 feet, probably much more, from anything recognisable..."

"30,000 feet? What, do you have me on an airplane or something?" Sam immediately knew that that was the absolute wrong thing to say. Banner shrank back into his "shell", and she knew that she would not get an answer out of him anytime soon.

"I need to take you to the director of... of the hospital." Dr. Banner started undoing the lock on the door (It had been installed after she grabbed his coat). Sam stood up slowly. She hadn't been allowed to leave the room since she woke up. A plain white room got very very boring very very quickly. Almost any form of being allowed to leave was a blessing.

As Sam walked out into the hallway, she was surprised to see guards posted every 5 meters or so. It made more sense now that she knew where she was-or at least what kind of place she was in. The guards stiffened as she and Dr. Banner walked past. Did she catch a glint of fear in their eyes?

He led her through hallways and stairs and elevator lifts until she was so confused, they could have been twenty stories up or underground, although she supposed that was the point. As Dr. Banner finally slowed down and stopped, they were in front of a reinforced steel door. Banner stepped forward and leaned over, holding his eye up to a small scanner.

"Banner, Bruce. Clearance Level: 1. Codename: The H-"

Banner clapped his hands over Sam's ears, effectively cutting off the computerized voice emanating from unseen speakers. After the voice apparently stopped, he lowered her hands from her ears, looking rather sheepish.

"I'm guessing that this isn't your normal everyday hospital, is it?" Sam asked in a dry voice.

Banner started to answer, but was cut off by a deep voice from behind the (now open) door.

"No, Ms. Johnson, it is not. Now, how about you come with me and help me figure out how you managed to get yourself strapped to a table in an abandoned warehouse in the middle of Europe?"

The room started spinning. She was in Europe? What? When? She put a hand on the wall to steady herself, then turned to find the source of the voice was standing right behind her. It was a tall African American man wearing a black trench coat and an eyepatch. Spy much? her mind whispered. Sam followed him inside the room, shooting Dr. Banner a look. He looked somewhat apologetic and had a "what-did-I-get-her-into-oh-no" look on his face. Then the door slammed shut. Loudly.

"My name is Director Fury. I need your consent to take a lie detector test." Straight to the point, aren't you? After she nodded, there were sensors strapped to her wrist and elbow, measuring her pulse.

"What is your name?"

"Samantha Maria Johnson. What is this all about?"

"How old are you?" He ignored her question.

"Turning 17 this March. Where are we?"

She saw an eyebrow twitch. "Occupation, if any?"

"Grad Student." She smirked, hoping he would catch the fact that she was obscenely young. It was funny to see the reactions.

He started, then looked closely at the screen showing her heartbeat. It was regular and even. "You are 16... And in Grad School?"

"Yes. Did I not just tell you that?"

He sighed. "Eye color?" Wonderful. Back to the boring questions.

"Green. What is going on?"

"Hair color?" More ignoring of the questions.

"Light brown. Why can't I go home?"

His eyes hardened. "Criminal record?"

"Clean. When can I call my family?"

His fist clenched, if only for a moment. "Family?"

"Alicia Johnson, 46. Michael Johnson, 50. No siblings. Why aren't you answering my questions?"

Fury sighed again, shuffling the papers he was holding. "Where were you four nights ago?"

Sam froze. Hadn't she suffered enough? Whisked away from her family, her friends, her life, and this idiot wants her to relive it? No. She was not going to tell him.

* * *

In an underground bunker somewhere in Europe, a group of men sat huddled around a computer screen. Two stood apart from the rest, one hunched over a clipboard, one standing tall with his hands behind his back, surveying the scene. The one with the clipboard was nodding and checking off items as they were relayed to him. He straightened, holding the clipboard high in success. He turned to the man standing over the group.

"All checks have been performed, my lord. We are waiting for your word." Alistair Von Brown said proudly, his native Scottish accent slipping through.

The other smiled, triumph clear in his eyes. "What are you waiting for? Activate it. Now."

* * *

Sam glared at Director Fury. All he would do was repeat the question. The very same one that She. Would. Not. Answer. Ever. He really didn't seem to get it. She stood up.

"I wake up in a hospital room after being kidnapped, and no one will tell me where I am or what is going on, and you expect me to cooperate? You are a bigger idiot than I thought."

He stood up, eyes (eye?) flashing. "I do not appreciate being called stupid, Ms. Foster. You had better rethink what you just said, or things are going to get very uncomfortable for you."

The retort Sam had planned was cut off by a flash of pain starting in her left shoulder. It quickly worsened and spread, quickly enveloping her entire body.

Every nerve, every vein on her body felt like it was on fire. Her skin was crawling, and she was losing control of her limbs. Her eyes snapped shut, then opened wide as she felt an invisible force pulling her in every direction. It then forced their way into her mind. She could feel her consciousness being shunted off into a corner. Sam could no longer control her body. The force burrowed its way to a locked-down corner. It attacked the "door" and it soon disintegrated the blockade, letting loose what could only be described as power.

Hello, Samantha.

Sam started at the voice that invaded her mind. It did not seem to have a malicious intent, instead it was almost... Mischievous, like someone about to play a prank, or about to make something explode. It was attached to the power, she was sure of it. But still, where did it come from?

The voice definitely had a mind of its own. It ripped through her veins and out to her fingertips. Through eyes forced open, she saw the air around her hands distort slightly, rippling. The same thing, she noticed, was happening to the chair that she fell out of. Her hand moved upward slowly, on its own accord, and the chair tipped over. Sam watched helplessly through dimming eyes as she effectively destroyed the interior the interrogation room. The chair was lifted up from the floor and smashed to pieces as it was brought back down. The papers Fury was holding flew everywhere, and the man himself was backed into a corner, yelling something into an earpiece.

The last thing she heard before her senses went completely dark was the door slamming

open.


	4. Chapter 4

She was in a circular glass cage/container type thing, about 20 feet across. There were four columns and in between two was a cot-no, a shelf, really-with padding. Sam had been in there since she regained consciousness. She had no idea what was going on. Well, she knew that she was apparently a "serious threat", and they prepared this room for her. _How thoughtful._ She remembered, though. She remembered the pain, the power, the chair, everything. Sam didn't necessarily feel bad for destroying the room.

As far as Sam knew, she was in the same military base (Sam refused to call it a hospital) as the one she previously woke up in. There was no way of keeping time, nothing to do, and she couldn't even touch the glass without half the army barging in. All in all, she was bored. Very. Bored. She half considered kicking the glass, just to see what would happen. She thought back over the couple days during which her life had so drastically changed.

* * *

_Samantha was just another of the 6,000 or so students who attended Columbia University in New York, NY. The only difference, to pick her apart from the rest? She was 16. Other than that, she fit in perfectly. Wandering the campus between classes, she was often met with "Are you waiting for someone?" or "You lost, kid?". The worst were the ones who tried to make her leave, saying "Little kids don't belong here."_

_Sam's mom had made her start taking martial arts classes when she was little, hoping to protect her from bullies. It had come in handy many times, unfortunately. She got her black belt when she was 13. It had been at least a year since she had to defend herself-most of the students knew her well enough not to mess with her. And then the night in the alleyway happened..._

_She was walking to home after a long day, she had to deal with crud from her professors and nearly got into a fight after she used her sarcastic abilities to their fullest extent. Sam turned in an alleyway, it was a shortcut that she used often. Suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck prickled. She continued walking as if nothing happened, then whipped her head around._

_The alleyway was empty. She kept looking around, careful not to miss anything. Finally satisfied, she turned, only to be nose-to-chest with a man. A tall man._

_"Struggle, and this will be much more painful." Of course, Sam went against everything her instincts were telling her (to turn her back and run, or worse, not to struggle and listen to him. stupid cowardly instincts) and lashed out and punched him in the gut._

_He wheezed, and she immediately ran past him, to the end of the alleyway. As she passed a seemingly dark and empty doorway, an elbow lashed out and caught her solidly in the stomach. Sam reeled backward, hoping to catch herself, but instead was caught, by a pair of insanely strong arms. Old instincts kicked in, and she bit down on his hand. He yelled, letting go of her with one arm. That was all she needed._

_She widened her stance, grabbed his arm, lifted her hips up and into his stomach, and leveled him into the other man, the one who elbowed her. Sam looked up and around, hoping that there were no more people around. As she turned to the entrance to the alleyway, there was a whizzing noise, a sharp pinch and a dart sticking out of her shoulder. She turned, the world going blurry, and could barely make out the shape of someone one a rooftop putting away his blowgun..._

* * *

Sam mentally shook herself, trying to stay away from those kinds of thoughts. She should be focusing on trying to get out of here, for heaven's sake! Well, at least focusing on getting some answers. She looked around again, trying to find a weak spot in the cage.

Nothing. Nada. Zip, zilch, zero. She might as well be hitting it with a rubber duck. She started amusing herself by thinking of ways, no matter how far fetched, that she would get out of there.

_There was a rampaging zebra running amuck through the halls. It burst into the door, hit a button on the control panel which opened the door to her cage. The zebra was suddenly disintegrated by ray guns from an alien spaceship which decimated her cage behind her. Then the aliens decided to run away when lightning struck everywhere making the entire room rattle, yet Sam was somehow unscathed. The lightning was lancing down as she ran out of the maze of hallways trying to find an exit. Suddenly the corridor was awash with bubbles..._

Ideas as ridiculous as these, and more, filled her brain. _The trapeze crew from the circus crashed through the wall... There was an explosion that somehow turned everyone into beef jerky... She shattered the glass into a million pieces with magic__**WAIT A MINUTE...**_

She might actually be able to make that last one work! Well, not with magic, specifically, but with her weird mind-control-telekinesis thing! Well... The more Sam thought over it, the more she realized that there were about a million holes in her "plan". Things-way too many things-could go horribly wrong. Sam had absolutely no idea how to use her powers, she didn't even know if she still had powers and even if she managed to break the glass, there was the slight problem of not knowing where in earth she was, or even how to get out!

But still... She had to get some answers, somehow. Her mind was racing... If she called enough attention to herself, guards would barge in and she could demand to see Fury and figure out what on earth happened to her. That really was the only option she had at the moment, other than waste away in this cell forever.

Sam took a deep breath. _Hello? Weird voice person in my head? Are you there? Or am I completely crazy? I want to use the magic power thing..._ No response. Of course. She was just trying to contact a mysterious voice that may or may not have been inside her head giving her magic powers! It shouldn't have been too hard!

_Hello again, Samantha._

Woah. Didn't see that coming.

_You might be crazy. It all depends on your perspective. I am a solitary voice in the back of your mind, controlling your power. Or, you know, you could have been imagining me this whole time and are now locked up in a mental asylum. Your choice, you know?_

Oh, wonderful. Not only does Sam have a magic voice in her head, but it's had to be a sarcastic magic voice?

_I'm not magic, Samantha. Neither are your powers. This is Science. You have the ability to manipulate the molecules around yourself and other objects. That little show, in the interrogation room? Simple, basic party tricks. You can learn to do so much more. All I need is for you to trust me..._

The voice had an almost mesmerizing quality to it. The more she listened, the more she wanted to listen, and the more she wanted to listen, the more she listened. It was a never ending circle spiraling downward into... Well, Sam didn't know what it was spiraling into. Not yet, at least. She so desperately wanted to listen, to trust, to learn. Wait a minute. You want to trust the voice who took over your body and landed you in this nuthouse in the first place? Sam shook her head. She needed to get this done. She pushed the thought out of her mind.

_Well, Samantha?_

_Well, Voice-who-is-apparently-not-magic... Let's do this._

_Excellent, Samantha... Truly, excellent._

* * *

**A/N: Hey! How'd I do? This is my first story, any and all feedback is very much appreciated! Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

An enormous crash emanated from the detention center. Fury immediately whipped his head over to the security camera screen, where the sight of the destroyed cell and room greeted his eye. That girl-Samantha Maria Johnson-was standing in the middle of the wreckage. _Of course she was..._

She was looking around, eyes hard and calculating. Wait... her eyes. They were coal black, no whites or irises. She suddenly seemed to have found what she was looking for, as her eyes drifted... Upward... To the security camera. She appeared to be looking straight at him, through the camera. She smiled, and that wide smile, all too familiar. Then her eyes drained to bright blue. _Shit._

Her hand snapped upward, palm down, fingers spread. She twisted it, and the screen dissolved into static. His eye widened. The screen automatically switched to a different security camera, one that she hadn't found yet. He looked for the camera that had been disconnected.

The camera... It had been more than disconnected. There was a gaping hole in the wall that looked almost... Burned._ She burned it? How?_ Ms. Johnson was standing on the ground, about 5'4". The cameras were about 20 feet off the ground. There was no way she should be able to reach it. But she didn't touch it. In fact... All she did was gesture.

"Dr. Banner! Do you have the results for the serum yet?" Fury had an idea forming, and he hoped, desperately hoped, that he was wrong. Banner shook his head, saying the results wouldn't be ready for another five hours or so. Suddenly, a beeping resounded through the pandemonium.

Dr. Banner managed to look a little sheepish. "I lied, I guess?" He ran off to the lab to get the results. A startled yelp sounded from the room. Banner came back out, holding the papers up to his nose. "There must be a mistake, there's no way this could happen!" He seemed to be very frazzled.

Fury sighed. "Are you planning to share what is so shocking, Dr. Banner?" When the papers were shoved at his face, he blinked and took a step backward. "This looks like a mangled mess of numbers and mathematical formulas that I will probably never understand."

Banner straightened, pushing his glasses up his nose. "The nuclei in her brain cells have gotten an unknown new nitrogen base in her DNA, rendering her able to connect with other atoms and cells, rendering her able to manipulate, switch, expand and contract them both. There may be more side effects that we cannot comprehend yet. The possibilities of the things she can do... Are nearly endless."

Fury blinked. _That_ was unfortunate. "So you're telling me she can make this entire base disappear, and there's nothing we can do to stop it?"

"Well, those are the types of things she should theoretically be able to do. However, she may not know the extent of her powers... Or even how to control them. In fact," Banner said, wincing as another crash resounded from the detention level, "She probably has no idea what is going on. Her eyes are normally green, yes?"

"Dr. Banner, is now really the time to be discussing eye..." Fury trailed off as the realization hit him. "She... Had green eyes. They're bright blue now." Banner nodded. "Shit..." Fury breathed.

"Hill! Get me some backup in the detention center! We can't have her get out, she doesn't know what she's doing!" Fury shouted into his earpiece.

"Yes, sir. Do you want a specialist, or should we send in more people for her to smash into a pulp?"

Fury hesitated. He nodded, his mind made up. "Get me Agent Romanoff."

* * *

Sam watched as the room was destroyed from the inside out. She enjoyed it, honestly. This was the place that kept her away from her life. A small smirk played across her lips. Sam had the cell reduced to smoking rubble within 3 or 4 seconds. The security cameras were soon to follow.

Controlling the power felt strange-she wasn't exactly completely in control, but she wasn't a puppet, either. She could make her own decisions, they were just... Heavily influenced by that non-magic voice. _Can you tell? How do you know that "your" decisions are really your own?_

Sam shook her head, ridding her head of the little part of her consciousness that questioned her judgement. She was in charge of her own body. Nothing could invade her mind without her knowing, and once she knew... They would be gone. Irritated with herself, she flicked her hand at the last remaining camera a little too hard.

The camera burst into flame. Along with half of the wall. She had willed the molecules of the camera to vibrate, causing extreme heat, and eventually flame. She hadn't exactly planned for the entire wall to catch on fire. A bit of fine-tuning was definitely in order. Sam turned as the door slammed open, expecting more "security". Wonderful. Target practice.

There was one woman. Red haired, steely eyed, pretty, but in a kill-you-if-you-cross-me kind of way. Not all that different from Samantha, but this woman had a glint in her eyes of a killer, someone that wouldn't hesitate to bring Sam down. She smirked again. This should be interesting.

Sam saw that the other woman had a variety of weapons, including several guns, knives and probably a dagger or two hidden on her body. There were black bracelets on her wrist (they traveled halfway up her forearm) that shone with a blue light. Sam could have sworn she heard a quiet electrical hum coming from the bracelets, but the woman was standing at least 20 feet away.

"I don't want to hurt you. I will if I have to." The woman said. "You don't know what you're doing."

"And what if I know exactly what I'm doing? Are you going to have to _hurt me_?" Sam asked, sarcasm dripping off the last two words.

"Yes. And trust me, I will _not_ hold back."

"That's assuming that I trust you. The thing is, I have a thing against trusting people who put me in a cage. So how about you back off and let me go?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm giving you one last chance. Stand down."

"No."

The woman nodded slightly, as if she expected that Sam wouldn't give in. "Well, then. I guess I don't have to feel completely sorry about this." She started to run towards Sam.

Sam tensed, her guard immediately up, expecting a blow. A fist shot toward her right side. _It's a fake. She's going for your head._ Sam jumped back and blocked her head quickly. The fist collided with her forearm, surprising them both.

_Thanks, weird voice thing. What else ya got?_ Sam dodged another blow, they were coming faster after she blocked the first one.

_She has weapons. Don't forget about those._ Sam acknowledged the advice and leaned backward, away from the spinning roundhouse kick that was heading for her nose. Sam flipped back onto her hands, launching herself over the redhead and snapping her fist out to connect with the woman's nose. They both looked surprised when Sam made contact, and the woman's surprise quickly turned to outrage as blood dripped down her face.

_Ok, then. Didn't know I could do that._

_You have increased reflexes, senses and strength as well. Did you really think that matter manipulation was the only power you would get after that exchange?_

_...Maybe._ Sam could almost hear the sigh out loud. She ran over to a pile of rubble that was the remains of the cage that previously held her, throwing a handful of scattered debris at the woman. She flinched instinctively, giving Sam the opportunity to fling a good 70-75 pound hunk of metal at across the room in her direction. The woman ducked impossibly fast, in return flinging two knives_-where the hell did she get those? She didn't even move!_ Sam turned, letting the knives pass her,grazing her nose. Sam could feel the blood dripping down her face. The knives imbedded themselves in the wall behind her. The woman pulled two guns out of holsters on her hips, aiming at Samantha. Sam rolled behind a piece of wall from the destroyed cage to protect her from the onslaught of bullets.

_She is not the only one with weapons at her disposal..._

Sam wrinkled her nose momentarily. _I don't even know how to use the powers yet. What am I supposed to do about that?_

_You don't have to do anything. Just let me._ Sam had a momentary thought-Should she really be trusting the voice that appeared in her head and momentarily took control of her? But that thought was quickly pushed out of her head, causing a sudden fuzz, then she shook her head. She had to trust him. It was her only ticket out of here. _Watch closely._

She felt herself concentrate (outside of conscious thought), then twist both her hands as the air around them became shimmery and wavery, like the air around of the chair in the interrogation room earlier. She converted the air molecules into steel and leather, and suddenly she was holding copies of her twin Dao Swords that she earned when she got her black belt. She knew these blades like she knew the back of her own hand. She smiled. This would be fun.

Sam was a whirlwind of blades, spinning them to pick up stray rubble and catapult it toward her target, and occasionally deflecting a stray bullet, knife, and even a tranquilizer or two (So _that's_ what the bracelets were for!). Sam made her way across the room, relying on her newfound instincts and reflexes to let her twist and turn in ways she didn't even know she could.

She reached the woman, and immediately felt the tide turn as her blades were nearly knocked out of her hands. The material of the catsuit the woman was wearing was something that the steel of her swords couldn't pass through. The woman didn't hesitate to try to knock the blades away, using not only her fists and forearms (protected by the bracelets), but also the muzzle of her gun. The woman had also acquired a bo staff, probably collapsible, from who-knows-where. Sam immediately knew/sensed that the staff was a titanium alloy. It would be near impossible to break.

The staff whistled past her ear, bringing her back to her senses. She had only saved herself from getting a nasty hit to the head by her new reflexes. Sam knew that without those, she wouldn't stand a chance in this fight. The ring of steel against titanium rang throughout the room, and soon enough one of her swords was twisted out of her hand. She flexed her hand quickly, and the sword flew back to her hand. Sam did a mental fist-pump.

The woman looked a little taken aback when the sword that she had just sent spinning toward the wall nicked her on the cheek. She looked down at Sam's hands briefly, then hardened her eyes. She backed up and ran towards Sam, but instead of attacking her directly, she jumped over her and yanked both swords out of her hands, tossing them into a corner and quickly snagging the sleeves of Sam's jacket with small knives. The knives were stuck into the wall behind her, and had a mechanism that made them burrow deep into the concrete.

Sam was trapped with her hands pinned above her head, her swords in a corner, and a bo staff pointed at her chest. Well, voice, I certainly hope you have a plan for getting us out of this, I've got nothing.

_I'm sorry Samantha._ Sam started at the tone. It didn't sound apologetic. Not at all. It was enjoying this. _You'll have to figure this one out on your own._

She was left inside her own mind, alone. Completely, utterly alone.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This isn't one of my favorite chapters, please tell me how I did and what you think!**

Sam was being marched down a corridor. _How dramatic._ Her wrists were handcuffed in front of her, and the cuffs were tight enough to nearly cut off circulation. Oh, and the cuffs? They definitely had an electrical quality to them. There was a quiet humming emanating from them. She had been told that if she tried anything funny, there would be "unpleasant consequences". Sam had a feeling that that meant something like several thousand volts of electricity being jolted through her body. Fun.

Her eyes flicked toward the ceiling and walls, seeking out... There! A ceiling grate, like ones used for the vents of apartment buildings. She studied it discreetly, and she noticed a shadow passing over it. There was someone _inside_, following them. She had seen it before, but she had thought it was just a trick of the light. If they were extra security or something else entirely, Sam didn't know. She didn't particularly care, either.

Sam was surrounded by at least 60 guards, each one with a machine gun. She had stumbled earlier and had to yank her hands out in front of her to catch herself. She had ended up having the barrel of the gun pressed against her neck. These people took their job way too seriously.

She appeared calm. However, her mind was reeling. She was in a military base, she had been interrogated, she had single-handedly destroyed a heavy-duty military cell, had had a freaking _voice_ in her head controlling her actions. She saw that now, looking back on what she did. Her untold aggression at Dr. Banner, her explosion at Fury's question, her willingness to succumb to the voice when it offered her an escape... The fight. She had never been able to fight so well. _Ever._

Her mind was jolted from berating herself for not noticing what had happened to her by nearly running into the guard in front of her. They had stopped. _Whoops._ She then noticed her surroundings.

The corridor had gotten smaller and narrower. There was a door at the end, nothing fancy, but bleak and depressing. Sam noted that it didn't have a doorknob. Or the eye-scanner thing that Banner had used to get her into the interrogation room... This morning? It seemed like it had been days... The guard in the front (Sam assumed he was in charge) straightened, and looked up.

"Agent Christian Jarrell reporting, escorting Suspect Samantha Johnson for interrogation. 65 Agent guard."

A microphone beeped, registering the voice of the Agent (military base was correct, she supposed). The door slid upward. A gun barrel pressed up against her back, nudging her forward. She complied. The interior of the room was plain grey. There was a one-way mirror along one wall, and a solid steel chair welded to the floor. There was nothing else in the room. The guard motioned for her to take the only seat. Sam did.

Her handcuffs were switched around, and she ended up with her left hand handcuffed securely to the arm of the chair. She couldn't move it off the chair. Her right hand could move, though, attached to the chair by a chain. _Odd_. She couldn't turn around at all, and was facing the mirror, her back to the door.

The door slammed shut behind the last guard, leaving her alone in the room. Sam's eyes flitted upward, counting at least 15 security cameras before she felt eyes on her. She looked around the room a little more closely. Up in the corner was another grate. _Figures._ Sam sighed. Whoever was up there didn't want to be seen. Too late for that.

"Can I help you?" There was absolute silence in the room. Sam was beginning to doubt that there had even been a person up there, that it had been just a combination of her paranoia and a trick of the light, when the grate was kicked to the floor, clanging metal on metal.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, missy." Someone dropped out of the grate. He was wearing a black vest/jacket type thing and black pants. His light brown hair was slightly spiky in the front, and his eyes were the eyes of a man who had stared death in the face. Unfortunately for Sam, those eyes were narrowed at her. She shifted in her chair a little, uncomfortable under his gaze. "Now, tell me. What did a 16-year-old girl do to get herself landed in a top secret government facility under heavy guard?" Sam's eyebrow quirked. At least they were dropping the whole "hospital" thing.

"You will need to tell me where the hell I am first." Sam retorted, stubborn. "And what the hell happened to me. What Banner told me wasn't everything, I know it. And now that I'm asking questions, who are you?"

The man started at the mention of Banner, but quickly tried to hide it. "We can tell you exactly where you are, and what happened to you. But all knowledge comes with a price, right?" Sam started to argue, but he silenced her with a look. "You sign a paper, give us your fingerprints, we tell you what happened and where you are. Then you tell us how you got your powers and how you managed to last that long against my partner."

_Your partner? Oh. The woman._ "What exactly would be on this paper you want me to sign?"

"It states that you can't repeat anything you have seen, heard, or experienced here. If you do, we will find you. You won't enjoy that. Also-" Sam cut him off.

"You are asking me to keep my mouth shut? That might be slightly... Well, impossible for me, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I can see how that might be a problem for you." Sam's head snapped around-or as far as it could go, anyways. It was the redhead agent, the one she fought earlier.

Shit. She was dead. So very, very dead.

"She planning to tell us how she learned to fight so well?" The redhead directed the question toward the other Agent.

"Yes." The Agent replied with a nod.

_"Nooo..._ I had no intentions of doing that at _all._" Sam was suddenly on the receiving end of two death glares from two equally intimidating ninja/Agents. "I have a functioning brain. I can answer questions." The woman turned to Sam.

"You want to answer my questions? Fine." Sam could see the male Agent mentally facepalming behind the redhead. She had a feeling that this was a really bad idea. Whoops. "Your name is Samantha Maria Johnson. You are 16 years old and are in college. You have been taking martial arts classes since you were 6, and you got your black belt three years ago. You have an I.Q of 184, yet are ADHD. You were walking to your dorm in Columbia University after classes five days ago, when you were ambushed by 4 men all over 6' 0", and managed to fight off three of them before the last one caught you with a tranquilizer. You were found in a warehouse in Europe five days later. Now, tell me what happened in there."

"No." Sam was, in fact, a little shaken by how much the Agent knew about her. "Just because I say that I can answer questions doesn't mean that I will. Now, this guy. " Sam said, pointing at the man. "He mentioned a paper that I could sign that would let me know where I was. I want to know more about that."

The redhead seemed a little taken aback that she had chosen not to say anything, but she quickly reverted to the stone-cold mask that Sam had come to know and (not) love. "The document-"

"As _I_ said before," said the man "The paper will forbid you from repeating anything that has happened to you here. It will also authorize us to tell your parents an... Abridged version of the truth. Also, and above all, tell us how you got you got here, what you remember about what happened in the warehouse, and what you know about your powers."

"That sounds like a whole bunch of stuff that I'm telling you, but what are you telling me? All knowledge comes with a price, right?" Sam said, throwing his words back into his face. "I want to know where I am. I want to know who both of you are. I want to contact my family. I want to know who kidnapped me, and I want to know why the _hell_ you can't tell me anything about it!"

"We can tell you most, if not all of that once you sign the paper." Both agents seemed confident that they had her right where they wanted, and that she would go along with what they said. She was going to toy with that confidence, just a little.

Sam nodded slightly, as if a crucial decision had been made, and in some ways, it had. Her mind was made up. "I can't sign it."

"What?" Both agent's voices resounded sharply throughout the room.

"You heard me. I can't sign it. It is physically impossible for me to sign it." Yes, this was a little unnecessarily cruel. _They_ had been a little (ok, really) unnecessarily cruel. So.

"...Physically impossible?" Sam could almost see the cogs turning in the guy's brain. It was funny, really. _You can do it... Just a little longer... Think, Ninja-Agents, think!_ Ok, maybe she was enjoying herself a _little_ too much.

"You could use both of your hands fine when you were fighting me." The female agent said slowly. "Yet you can't sign a paper?"

"Nope. Physically impossible." She almost snickered. The looks looks on their faces were too much. "Are you telling me, Ms. Ninja-Lady-who-knows-way-too-much-about-me, that with all of the information you have, you forgot this little detail?"

The agent's mouth quirked upward slightly at the name, then resumed its straight line. _Good to know that she actually has emotions._ "What are you talking about?"

"Are you trying to tell me that with all the really creepy information you have on my life, from my IQ to my black belt to the fact that I'm ADHD, and you don't know?"

"Know what?" Both agents said this, at the exact same time and with the exact same tone. It was more than a little creepy.

"Do you know how creepy that is? Really, do you?" There, she was back to ignoring the questions. However, the woman seemed to be at her breaking point. She probably shouldn't have pushed it this far. The Agent silently stepped around the chair Sam was in, behind her and slightly to the left. That was exactly where Sam's blind spot was from where she was sitting. She couldn't see the Agent, but could tell someone was behind her. It was beyond freaky. If this was a technique if intimidation, it was definitely working.

"You." Sam jumped slightly. The woman had leaned over her, and her mouth was right next to Sam's ear. The woman was speaking quietly, low and dangerous. _Shit._ "You are going to tell me why you can't sign the paper. If you don't tell me, I _will_ get payback for the fight earlier. I know that you weren't yourself then, but if you don't tell me why you can't sign it, I won't care anymore. Do you understand?" Sam's eyes widened in fear. This woman was serious. And now that Sam no longer had that stupid no-good dirty-rotten backstabbing voice in her head, she wouldn't know how to use her powers, or have the advantage of faster reflexes and more strength. She didn't even know if she could use her powers at _all_ anymore. She had been under the voice's influence since she got here. If she fought this woman again, things wouldn't turn out well for her. At all.

The other agent-the one who had a thing for traveling via air vents-put a hand on the woman's shoulder. "She's only 16, Nat... Try not to kill her?" The woman hesitated, then pulled back. He rounded on Sam. "It really would be in your best interests to listen to her. Whatever the reason that you can't sign the paper, we need to know now. Can we change your mind?"

"I never said that I _wouldn't_ sign the paper. I said that I _can't_. You don't need to change my mind." Sam said, still shaken from the Agents' threats. She cocked her head toward her left hand, still bound to the chair. "I'm left-handed. I can't sign a paper when my hand is tied to a chair." _**Please**__ don't kill me scary Ninja-Agent lady..._

**A/N: Review review review!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you _KIDDING_ me?" Yup, Sam had officially unleashed the rage of the Agents. She had actually rendered them speechless for a short time, but that didn't last long. At _all._ "All that was stopping you was you not able to _hold_ a freaking _pen_?" Yeah, that probably wasn't the best idea. Too late now.

"I told you why I couldn't sign it. I've admitted that I will actually sign it. Now, can we switch the cuffs around so I can sign the paper and get some answers?" Both Agents looked a little taken aback at her directness, but the cuffs did get switched around.

"We get answers before you do." The redheaded Agent reminded her. She had calmed down quite a bit after her initial outburst, much to Sam's relief. "After we figure out as much as we can from what you remember, we tell you where you are, what we found, who we are, who kidnapped you, and anything else you may ask, provided we can."

"So you can tell me everything except for the stuff you can't?"

"If you want to put it that way... Yes."

She had to applaud their honesty.

"Well then. Just wanted to make sure. Let the questions commence, I guess." She said, signing the contract with a flourish. She sincerely hoped she wasn't signing her own death sentence, both literally and figuratively.

"What do you remember about the warehouse you were in?" The redheaded agent asked, straightaway.

"Well, I was blindfolded, so I can't help you much on visuals. But I was strapped to a table... You already knew that... There was a slight breeze, and it was cold, so I guess the warehouse was in a pretty crappy condition." She paused, looking at the Agents. "That's all I can-wait. There were some kind of machines around me-whirring everywhere, then..." She shuddered. "The needle."

The man looked at his partner. They shared a long look. "Can you tell us what you remember about the... Man who kidnapped you?"

"The Baron?"

He looked at her sharply, surprised. "Where did you hear that he was a Baron?"

"Banner told me when I asked about it. Guessing he wasn't supposed to do that?"

He brought his fingers to his head, rubbing his temples. "Well, you know now, and we were going to tell you anyways. Back to what he said to you, what you can remember at least?"

"Well, there was a lot about 'A New Generation' and being the 'Subject'. He was saying something about me being chosen... I still don't know what that's about. He went into a fully fledged monologue, stereotypical villain 'I'm gonna take over the world' bit."

He smirked, then what she said apparently hit him. "He called you the Subject? You are sure that's exactly what he said?" He started pacing, agitated. Apparently being referred to as the Subject wasn't good. At all.

"Can you people please explain what is going on? That was in my part of the deal, I believe..."

The Agent continued pacing, ignoring her. "He's moved on sooner than expected... We need to tell Fury."

"We can't jump to conclusions. We also need to finish this, getting all the information we can." The woman told him.

"Fury? As in Super-Spy Eyepatch Guy? OHMYGOD THAT RHYMED!" She was _again_ on the receiving end of two equally intimidating glares. "I'm ADHD. Short attention span and all that. I haven't had my meds since before I got kidnapped. So sue me. Anyways, yes he called me the Subject, and then there's that thing about a 'New Generation', as well. Can I _please_ get some explanations here?"

"Fine. What do you want to know, and make it quick." The Agent replied snappily.

"We need to tell her what she wants to know, Barton. She gave us a lead, we owe her at least that much. You go tell Fury, I'll stay here." Sam's eyes widened. She was going to be locked in a room with the very person whom she had fought, who had threatened to get vengeance! _Not good not good really __**really**__ bad idea!_

"...Fine. But I am not happy with this." With that, the male Agent left the room.

Sam was left in the room with a deadly assassin. "Please don't kill me?" It was probably in her best interests to not piss her off. Or, at least, not piss her off any more than she already had.

"Believe it or not, I didn't ask to be in a room alone with you to kill you. Ask your questions, I'll explain what I can." She actually looked rather... Non-threatening. Well then.

Sam took a deep breath. "Who are you? Who was Traveler-Via-Air-Vent Guy? I have many more, but I need to be able to identify you beyond 'Scary Ninja-Assassin-Agent-Person'. So who are you?"

"My name is Agent Romanoff. My partner is Agent Barton. We work here."

"So your first name is 'Agent'? Along with your partner's?" The Agent started, muttering something about 'Oh god not another one...'. Sam continued. "He called you 'Nat' earlier... Short for Natalie? Natalia?" Romanoff flinched visibly.

"Don't call me that. My name is Natasha. You can call me Agent Romanoff, or Natasha, I guess. I'll leave Barton telling his name to you to him."

"Ok... Natasha. So,-" She got cut off.

"A question for a question? Barton left before I could get everything." Sam hesitated, then nodded. "What do you know about your powers? The black film over your eyes... And the blue, but anyways, any abnormal color your eyes may have been drained after I had you trapped earlier, we know that you were being controlled. I'm guessing your powers left? Or," She added as an afterthought, "You haven't tried yet?"

_I had blue/black eyes? When did this happen?_ "Well... I apparently can manipulate molecules, switch them, expand, contract, change, et cetera. Increased strength, speed, and reflexes as well. And... Well, I don't know if the powers are gone. You're right, I haven't tried. Didn't really get an opportunity to. Didn't expect one."

"We can let you test them out if you agree to let us run a couple tests." Woah. _That_ was completely unexpected.

"And you will have that miniature army that you have running around here present, I'm guessing?"

"Of course. You might have been controlled, but you still managed to destroy a high security detention cell. I guess you can feel proud of that, in some morbid way."

"All right, and now for the elephant in the room: Where is '_here'_?"

Natasha sighed. "I knew we would get here eventually. 'Here' is the world's greatest covert security network. The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. You can call us SHIELD." she added, seeing Sam's opening mouth, ready for a wisecrack.

"Alright, that's a mouthful, but you ruined the humor by explaining." Sam muttered. She wasn't really all that surprised that this was a secret government agency, she had had her doubts ever since she woke up and Banner couldn't tell her... Anything, really. "So can I get to a window or something? Do you people have something against windows? I haven't seen one since I got here..."

"Banner told you that you were about 30,000 feet away from anything recognisable, right?" After Sam nodded, Natasha continued. "He wasn't lying. Or exaggerating. I would explain, but it's better just to show some things." To Sam's utter astonishment, Natasha reached down and uncuffed Sam's right hand. She paused slightly over the left one. "I hope you know that the only reason that I'm doing this is that I have a margin of trust for you. Well, that and the fact that I know that I can beat you. You are in a... Place, surrounded by hundreds of trained Agents, all armed. I am going to show up with you, the youngest person to ever have earned the the Maximum Security Cell, and she will be unrestrained. Try not to cause a commotion."

Sam nodded, still not believing that she would be let out of the stupid cuffs! _And_ to know where she was! "Just one thing..."

"Yes?"

"After this, can I call my parents? I'll tell them what I need to, but I just need them to know that I'm alright." Natasha nodded. "Thank you." Natasha uncuffed her other hand. Sam immediately sprang out of her chair, all of the pent up energy finally getting unleashed. Natasha had started forward, but then just hung back and watched with an amused look on her face. Sam saw the smirk and subdued herself a little.

"Anyways... Shall we?" Sam asked, indicating the door. Natasha walked over to the door, said the snippet to get it to open, and walked out. Sam quickly followed, ready to get out of the room. As they walked up the corridor, Sam found herself looking inadvertently looking up at the ceiling grates.

"He won't be up there, you know. He's probably looking at the security feed and wondering why the hell I let you out. Freaking out about it, too."

"Oh. My. God. You have a sense of humor! A secret agent who actually had a sense of humor! Someone call the newspapers!"

"Wouldn't that completely defeat the purpose of me being a secret agent, though?" Sam actually laughed. A real, loud laugh. Then they rounded the corner, running straight into a group of Agents... Who realized that the random 16-year-old was, in fact, the same person who they had escorted to the very interrogation room she was now walking away from.

"Johnson! Hands above the head, facing the wall! NOW!" Agent Jarrell shouted, his gun immediately pointed at her head. She started to protest, but was only answered with the clicking of a safety off. "I'll only say it once more. Hands above the head, facing the wall." _C'mon, Natasha. A little help? Please?_

"Stand down, Agent Jarrell." _Thank you, Natasha, for creepily reading my mind..._ "She's with me. Stand _down._" She repeated, a little more sharply when they hesitated.

"Are you nuts, Romanoff?"_ Mistake. Very, very big mistake._ "She destroyed the detention center! And the interrogation room! And you lead her around without cuffs and just say she's with you?"

"Stand. Down. Sam, get over here."

"While I have guns pointed at me, I think I'll stay where I am, thanks!" Sam snapped back, shaken.

"Jarrell, may I remind you that I am one of Fury's top agents and currently have a higher level of clearance than you do. Stand down. That's an order. I won't say it again." Jarrell reluctantly lowered his gun, as did the agents behind him. "Sam. Over here." Sam glanced over her shoulder, then compiled.

"Look, Romanoff. I don't know what you're doing with that _freak_, but she is supposed to be in the middle of an interrogation. I don't know-" She stepped forward and grabbed his wrist. He looked at her, eyebrow raised. "What are you gonna do? Shake my hand to death?" Natasha smiled, and a cold and deadly smile it was. "You'll just have to wait and find out, Jarrell." She twisted both of his wrists up into a joint lock that Sam recognised from her martial arts classes. After Jarrell was flinching a little (ok, a _lot_), Natasha swept her leg under his, knocking him off his feet. Then, with some form of superhuman strength, she picked him up, still by his wrists, and slammed him against the wall.

_Must. Take. Notes._

"Shut. Up. You're acting like this was her fault. Do you even know what she went through before she got here? Or is she just the kid with the freaky powers that destroys everything?" She let him go. He hit the floor with a loud _thump_. ''Now leave with the rest of your bones still intact, while you still can."

They had the corridor to themselves again in less than 30 seconds.

**A/N: And as a side note, both the Baron and Sam are my own creations. I do not own the Avengers. (very sad story, I know)**

**Natasha wants you to review. She does. You should. *hint hint***


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Fluff warning ahead! And Sam also gets to know where she is! Yay! **

Sam and Natasha made out of the detention level without any more "interruptions". Sam was nearly bouncing off the walls in nervous energy, ready yet apprehensive for whatever was about to happen. As they made their way through the twisting hallways, the walls got progressively more interesting, with guns and doors leading to rooms with actual windows. The windows, of course, showing the interior of the rooms and not the outside of the SHIELD base.

As they finally turned the corner, Sam saw a glimpse of what looked like a large control room, and a floor-to-ceiling window- well, that's all she could see before Natasha grabbed her arm and yanked her back.

"They-the other agents-don't know you're coming, with the possible exception of Fury and Barton. They will act hostile towards you, but not to the extremes that Jarrell went." Natasha had explained that they had... A disliking toward each other. A _very_ strong disliking. Which was mainly the reason that Natasha had stood up for her. "I'm putting my job on the line here. Any funny business, anything at all, and you will regret it." Sam gulped, then nodded. "Alright. Let's get this over with."

They turned the corner. Sam's eyes were immediately drawn to the window, and..._ Holy shit, they weren't exaggerating in the slightest._ All she could see was blue sky around them and white clouds below them. "What the hell is this?" She whispered to Natasha. "I've been in this thing for more than two days and I thought we were on the _ground_!" She looked around some more. There were computer screens _everywhere_. Some of them she didn't really see fit to call them computer screens, even. They were transparent monitors with touch-screens. There were people wearing what she guessed were SHIELD uniforms in front of the more normal computers. Her eyes panned slightly to the left... _Shit_. _Shitshitshit_. Both Fury and Barton were standing in the center of the room. Fury's hand was on his gun, by his leg, and Barton in a similar position.

"Agent Romanoff! What the _hell_ is she doing here?" Fury was (almost) speechless. Barton, however, had a little more to say.

"Nat, she was kidnapped by one of _his_ accomplices for five days. She could be-she _was_-" He broke off, gesturing frantically at his eyes _(?)_. "She wasn't supposed to leave the interrogation room! What the hell were you thinking?" Natasha blinked, but that was the only sign that Barton's comment had affected her.

"I don't know, Barton. I guess I just made a different call. Don't you believe in second chances?" Natasha's words were flat, but the look on both Barton's and Fury's faces was more than enough for her to know that there was more to the (seemingly offhand) comment. "Do you _see_ a trail of destruction, fire and dead bodies behind her?" No response. "And do you_ think_ that she would still be breathing next to me if there was?" **_Point_**-_wait_, _what?_ Both Fury and Barton seemed to relax slightly, but Sam noticed that their hands never left within a couple inches of the holsters. _Wonderful_. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to explain a couple things to our no doubt very confused interrogatee." After a beat, Sam nodded, still a little dazed. "Anyways, _Sam_, come on. You probably have a whole lot of questions." Natasha encircled her wrist in a death grip, then dragged her out of the control room, heading toward who-knows-where. As soon as they were in the hallway, Natasha stopped walking.

"Ow." Sam muttered, rubbing her wrist as soon as it was back in her possession. "You really couldn't have grabbed a _little_ more softly?" Seeing Natasha's smirk, she cut her off before she could even start. "Don't answer that. It was rhetorical."

"You ruined the humor, Sam. Don't do that." Natasha deadpanned, quirking an eyebrow.

"Ok, that was funny. Unfortunately, I have about a million questions that will not let me appreciate the joke, seeing as they are bouncing around on my head, drowning out all other thoughts. So, prepare yourself." She paused a little, taking a breath. "What. The. Hell. This is a _plane_? How is that even possible? I've been on this for _two_ _days_ and I was thinking that we were in a hospital, on the _ground_, for half of that! What has been going on in the week that I have been, well, disconnected from any kind of communication or non-agent _people_? When did my eyes turn different colors? Where am I, or what am I _above_?" She stopped abruptly. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter, more hesitant. "When can I call my parents? Do they even know I'm alive?"

Natasha took a deep breath. "To answer your questions, well, no this isn't a plane. It's called The Helicarrier, and it's really an aircraft carrier. And it also flies, as you can obviously tell. I am not entirely sure how it works, exactly, so I can't help you there. Your eyes turned different colors when you were being controlled to destroy the Detention Center, and while you fought me. Currently, you are... Somewhere above the Bermuda Triangle, I think. As for calling your parents... Well, here." Natasha produced a cell phone from one of the pockets in her belt. "I'll give you a little privacy, even though I can't completely leave you alone. However, you have to stick to this alibi: You were ambushed in the alleyway when a group of thugs attacked you. You fought them off, but you didn't notice one of them had apparently slipped away, and he caught you by surprise with a chloroform rag. You woke up in this 'hospital' two days ago, but were slipping in and out of conscious. You became strong enough to hold the phone about now. You also have no idea what happened to you while you were kidnapped. Anything you aren't absolutely sure you can answer, _don't_. Oh, and the hospital's in Lincoln, Nebraska. Any questions?"

Sam took the phone. "What if she asks when I can come home?"

"You don't know. If she asks to talk to an official, hand me the phone." She nodded. "You can call her now."

With shaking fingers, Sam dialed her mom's cell number. It rang once... Twice... On the third ring, the call was answered.

_"Alicia Johnson. May I ask who is calling?"_ Sam leaned against the hallway wall, feeling a little sick to her stomach. She hadn't heard her mom's voice filled with this much worry since her dad got into a car accident, and that was 5 years ago. _"Hello? May I ask who is calling?"_

Sam cleared her throat. "M-mom?"

The line was silent._ "Sam? Is that you?"_ Her mom's voice was hesitant, but even through the phone it was clear she was on the verge of tears. Sam was past that. _"S-sam?"_

"It's me, Mom."

_"Where have you been!? You were supposed to call us a week ago! We've been so worried! What happened!? Where are you!?"_ Despite everything, Sam started to smile through her tears.

"Well, Mom... I'm kind of in Nebraska at the moment. And-"

_"Nebraska? Why the __**hell**__ are you in Nebraska? What happened?"_

"Well... I was walking back from my dorm room, and a couple of guys ambushed me in an alleyway. One of them had a chloroform rag type thing, and I was apparently kidnapped." Sam could hear her mother gasp softly on the other end. "Well, long story short, I woke up in this hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska two days ago. I couldn't call sooner because I was kind of... Unconscious."

_"Oh my god, honey, are you alright? When can you come home?"_

"Yes, Mom, I'm fine. They gave me a couple painkillers, so I'm a  
little sore." Sam said, looking at Natasha pointedly. "But fine. I don't know when I can come home yet. Where is everyone? Is Dad there? If he is, can I talk to him?"

_"Yes, sweetie, your Dad's here. We haven't been too far apart since... Last week. Here he-OH MY GOD I HAVEN'T TOLD HIM YET! Give me a second, Sam."_ She could hear her mom running through the house, and her yelling her dad's name. She could hear him yelling back, then... Silence. Sam could only slightly hear her mom explaining what happened (or what she thought had happened...). Then she heard the sound of the phone being transferred from person to person.

_"Sam? Is that you?"_ Sam could sense the tears in his voice. She was shocked. Her dad never cried. _"Sam? Honey?"_

"Dad? Um... Hi. I guess Mom already told you what happened... How've you been?"

_"A complete and utter mess, but that's not important. How are you feeling?"_

"I'm tired, Dad. I miss you and Mom. But I'm ok, that counts for something, right?"

_"Of course it does, honey. We were so worried about you, but you're safe now, and that's what matters. You don't know when you can come home, right? But that doesn't feel right, they should be able to tell you... Or by the very least us... Can I talk to your doctor? Or nurse? Someone who works at the hospital?"_

"Ok, Dad. Give me a minute." She looked over at Natasha, who was standing over by the door. She covered the mouthpiece of the phone and spoke in a whisper. "He wants to talk to you. Can you-?"

"I'll put it on speaker." Natasha nodded, understanding. "Hand it over." She took the phone, pressing the speakerphone button. "Natalie Rushman speaking. How may I help you, Mr. Johnson?" Sam blinked at the abrupt change in tone (and in name). Natasha sounded friendly and peppy (WOW), like one of those nurses that would cheerfully tell you that you were free to go, and just as cheerfully tell you that you were about to have your leg amputated.

_"Yes, well my daughter is apparently enlisted as a patient here, and seeing as I'm her father, I would like to know what is going on. Where was she found? Why was she in Nebraska? She was... Taken in the middle of New York, and now..."_ He trailed off helplessly. _"Also, what happened? What was her physical state when she was admitted? Was she hurt? Is she hurt?"_

"Like father like daughter, Mr. Johnson. She was as full of questions as you are now. Some kind soul brought her in a couple days ago. She was found unconscious in an alleyway, in one of the more shady parts of town. We don't know the motives behind her kidnappers, but she was in a pretty bad shape when we found her. Nothing broken, but a minor concussion, bruises, and rope burns on her wrists and ankles. There is also a trace of a foreign substance in her blood, which is undergoing diagnosis now." Sam could hear her Dad's sharp intake of breath on the other line. "The burns are mostly healed, as are the bruises. The concussion should be mostly gone by now as well."

_"All right, Ms. Rushman. Thank you."_ Her dad's voice was shaking with anger. _"Do you know when she'll be home?"_

"It is a currently undetermined amount of time, Mr. Foster. She's a quarantine."

_"A __**what**__?"_

"A quarantine. She may have been exposed to a harmful disease or radiation from the substance in her blood, and we can't have her leaving the hospital grounds, or have anyone other than the faculty here see her until such time as we can determine how it is affecting her. I'm sorry, sir."

_"One more thing, Ms. Rushman. Why haven't we been contacted sooner? You said that she arrived a couple days ago. Why weren't we contacted then?"_

"She had no form of identification on her. We took her in as a Jane Doe, and as soon as she was awake enough to tell us who she was, we figured out your contact information and let her call you. That was this morning. We will contact you daily, or more often than that if her condition changes. Will that be all?"

_"Thank you. Let me talk to her one more time?"_ Natasha handed the phone over to Sam._ "Hey, sweetie. I've heard you won't be home for a while, and I just want you to know that we still miss you. You have no idea how relieved we are to hear from you. But we won't be seeing you for a while, so stay strong, Sam."_ His voice broke. Both father and daughter were openly crying._ "Just stay strong."_

"You know I will. Bye, Daddy. See you soon!" Sam pushed the "End" button, handed the phone back to Natasha, and tried to crack a smile. "You missed one of my questions earlier. What happened in the week while I was busy being kidnapped?"

Natasha continued walking down the hallway, looking over her shoulder. Her face was deadly serious. "Would you believe an alien invasion?"

* * *

**A/N: So, she essentially missed the events of the movie. Fun. Review! Reviewreviewreview! **


	9. Chapter 9

"An alien invasion. In New York." Sam repeated. "Why does that not surprise me?" She paused, running to catch up with Natasha. "Ok, it's still not funny. Seriously, Natasha, what happened around the world last week?"

"It wasn't a joke, Sam. There was an alien invasion of Manhattan."

"Prove it. You and SHIELD, it's your_ job_ to lie to people. You lied to me while I was in here before. Why not again? But honestly, after what you just pulled off, telling my dad that I was in quarantine-I mean, even _I_ believed that for a second!-I would have expected something a little more believable. An alien invasion? Really?"

"You want me to prove it? Fine. Everyone already knows about it, it's been on the news and in the paper. This isn't a lie, Sam." They reached another room. As they entered, Sam realized with a start that it was the very first room she saw in here-where Banner was. It had dropped the hospital guise, revealing a window or two along with several of the touch screen computers she had seen in the Helicarrier control room. It looked... Significantly less hospital-like. The room was empty, no sign that she had even been... Never mind. The Rubix Cube was sitting on the shelf, undisturbed. She picked it up, spinning the rows fondly. Natasha cleared her throat.

"Oh! Right. Proof of this so-called 'alien invasion'. Ok, go." Sam almost set the Cube down, but decided against it. She would be fidgeting enough without something to do with her hands.

Natasha went over to one of the monitors, quickly pulling up a video and going full-screen. Sam heard the voice of a news reporter, then focused her attentions onto the screen.

_"Due to the extraordinary efforts of the group known as The Avengers in what has been confirmed as an extraterrestrial attack..."_ Ok, so they had either completely fooled the entire world, this actually happened, or (Sam thought that this option was the most likely) the video was faked. As the video continued, she saw what looked like footage of "aliens" on flying jet skis, zooming around trying to kill everyone. Not really surprising.

"So... Who are The Avengers?" Sam asked, no longer really paying attention to the video. She would play along, for the time being. "Anyone important? How many are there?"

"There are six of us." _Say wha?_ "You have had the pleasure of indirectly meeting three of them. Congratulations. You probably know of one more, maybe two."

"Wait a minute. 'There are six of _us_?' _Us?_ You are one of these... People? Avengers? That's taking the story a little far, don't you think? And who are the other two that I have supposedly met?"

"It's not a story. What more proof do you want? To see a wrecked and smoking New York?" _That might be what it takes._ "We can do that. And the other two were Barton-yes, him." She added, seeing Sam's face. "And the last one that you've met is Banner."

"Banner. Dr. Banner. He was a superhero? Are we talking about the same guy?"

"Well... Yes and no."

"That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. You realize that, right?"

"I'll let him explain." She touched her ear briefly. "Can I get Dr. Banner to Laboratory 5A please?" She paused. "Yes, she wants proof. Get him over here as soon as possible." Natasha returned her attention to Sam. "He's on his way And we can get those tests on your powers done, too. Banner's really good at stuff like that."

Sam felt her stomach clench with excitement, and more than a little apprehension. "Seriously?"

"Yup. And I know this is probably getting repetitive, but _don't_ try and go against us. It won't end well. Banner, he's, well... I should just let him explain."

The door to the lab slid open, revealing a very confused-looking Dr. Banner. "Fury said you wanted me?" His eyes landed on Sam, and then widened. He sent a look toward Natasha, alarmed.

"She's fine, Banner." He relaxed considerably at that. "We were wondering if you could run some tests on the her abilities, if she can use them."

"I guess that's fine." Banner replied hesitantly. Sam mentally noted that Natasha had accidentally-on-purpose forgotten about the _other_ question for Banner. Or, the one Sam had for him.

"So what exactly do these 'tests' entail?" Sam asked, her apprehension mounting. She didn't think she could handle straps or sensors or needles or really much of _anything_ near her body. "What do I have to do?" And besides, would her powers even _work_ anymore?

"Well, that depends on what you have already done. Try and recreate that, and we'll monitor it through the sensors in the room. You burned the security cameras in the room, right?" Sam nodded in response. "Well, try to recreate that. But, obviously not with the burning of the security camera." He added with a nervous laugh. "And if you could explain what you were doing with the molecules while you do that..."

Banner took a step back to the computer. He pressed a few buttons, his fingers flying across the keyboard. The screen switched to what looked like an infrared view of the lab. He leaned over, nodding at her to start. Sam gulped.

She held out her hand, palm facing up. Tensing it slightly, she focused on the molecules in the air directly above her hand. Sam willed them to vibrate, bouncing off each other to create heat from friction and therefore... Flame.

Nothing. Beads of perspiration were running down her brow. She concentrated harder, her entire hand tensing, trying to create the smallest bit of fire. Both Banner and Natasha were leaning forward slightly, their faces curious but wary. Sam spared a look over to the screen with the infrared view. The air above her hand was a glob of white, showing extreme heat. She was almost there! Just a little more...

Poof. A small ball of fire erupted into life on her palm. Natasha flinched back, startled. Sam looked up, a small, triumphant grin flashing across her face. Banner rushed over to the monitor, mumbling to himself.

"Ok, Sam, try to make it a _little_ bigger. Or vary it in size?" Sam obliged, trying to increase the volume of her little fire. It immediately grew from the size of a Ping-Pong ball to-oh, about the size of a basketball. Sam jumped back some, her nose slightly burned. "A _little_ bigger!" Banner looked really on edge, and a warning look from Natasha told her to dial it back. She did, and Banner relaxed visibly.

"During the fight, I knocked the sword out of your hand. Not two seconds later, it was back in your hand. Care to explain how you did that?" Sam looked up, startled.

"Well, ok. I can move the molecules around, yes?" After they both nodded, she continued. "I moved the molecules of my sword from the corner back to my hand. Since it's obviously not an option to do that with a sword, if you have a pen or something, I could try again?"

"Here. Will this do?" Banner produced a ballpoint pen from his purple shirt. Sam took the pen, weighing it in her hand momentarily. She handed it back to Banner.

"Put it on a table somewhere, please." Banner crossed the room and set it on the table farthest from her. Sam gave him an "are you kidding me?" look, then smiled briefly. "I guess I always did like a challenge."

She held her hand out toward the table, feeling oh-so-slightly ridiculous. She remembered the imprint of the molecules that she got from holding the pen. With her mind, she almost _pushed_ outward, probing for that same combination of atoms. Her lips twitched upward when she found it. _Ok, pen, now get over here._ The pen quivered on the table, then flew right to her hand. Sam broke into a fully-fledged smile.

"I am a freaking JEDI!" Sam almost-_almost_-broke into some ridiculous dance in celebration. Then she saw the looks Banner and Natasha were giving her. She cleared her throat, brushing some invisible lint off her shoulder. "Yes. Anyways." She handed the pen back to Banner. "Anything else you wanted me to do?"

"Yes, actually." Banner put the pen back in his pocket. "You created the swords by converting the molecules in the air to the match of the molecules of the swords. In other words, you can create. Do you know how far you can take it?"

Sam stopped. She never really considered it like that. "So you want me to make a non-lethal something, as big as I can?" Banner nodded. One elephant, coming right up.

"A book, maybe? Start off small, work your way bigger." Natasha added. Sam shook her head.

"A book might be a little complex, getting every word on the page in every page right. Something a little less complicated... Got it." She looked around. "Anyone got a tissue?"Natasha wordlessly handed her a box of tissues. "I'm not even going to question how you got that..."

With the tissue box in one hand and the other held out, Sam closed her eyes. _Focus. Focus. Identify, duplicate, repeat. Identify, duplicate, repeat._ She opened her eyes. There was an unfortunate lack of tissue boxes in her empty hand._ Goshdangit._

"Hmm... Is there anything that you think could have stopped you from converting the molecules?"

"Well, there is the fact that I haven't had anything to eat today." Her stomach growled loudly. "See? Thank you for making my point for me! Anyways, the distinct lack of food in my stomach could have something to do with the failure of my concentration."_ Or the fact that there is apparently a giant lock over where where that power is... But food would be nice, too._ "Hint, hint?" She added hopefully.

Natasha nodded. "I'll see what I can do." She spoke into her earpiece briefly, arguing a bit with the agent on the other end. The conversation ended with something like "Get me food over here now or I will pull some strings to have you and I spar. Got it?", probably giving the other agent a small heart attack. Fun.

"So, while we wait for food, how 'bout you explain some more of this 'Avengers' stuff to me? I'm still not buying it. And who are they in the first place? Other that you, Barton, and Banner, of course. And what was with the 'yes and no' bit? You people are confusing..."

Banner flinched a little. "You told her?" He directed the question toward Natasha, who shook her head.

"Not about you, specifically. I didn't tell her about the 'Other Guy'. I left that to you." Banner nodded, understanding.

"All right. Did you hear about the Harlem incident a couple years ago?"

"The one with that monster thing fighting the big green guy? And Harlem getting, like destroyed?" Banner nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, I heard about it. And actually heard it. My college is a mile and a half away." She added, at his confused look.

"Oh. Sorry." _Why are you apologising?_ "Well, um... The green beast-"

"He's not a beast."

"Sorry?"

"He's _not_ a beast. Everyone calls him that, I'm sick of it. It was kind of obvious that he was on our side after he started fighting that..." Sam shuddered. "That _thing_. But everyone chooses to ignore that, and our resident Jolly Green Giant gets the blame."

Banner looked up, startled. "Well... Thank you." _What?_ "Since I am the 'Jolly Green Giant', as you so eloquently put it. And he is part of the Avengers."

"You are the Hulk?" Banner nodded. He looked worried, really worried. "That is..."

"It's ok if you don't want to be near me anymore..."

"You didn't let me finish." Sam reprimanded. "That is the most amazing thing! You... You... GAH!" Sam took a breath. "You go off on the touch of a button, yet you keep an iron grip on yourself and the very fact that you stay _sane_ is a feat in of itself! It's... Just..." She trailed off. "Can I just summarize and say that you are the most amazing person ever and it's an honor to meet you?"

He blinked. "I can honestly say that that's the first time someone has said that to me." Both fell silent.

Sam coughed. "So... Who are the other Avengers? I think this is the third or fourth time I've asked that..."

"Me. Barton. Banner-" The door opened stood a SHIELD agent, holding a tray of breakfast. _Breakfast_. Sam's stomach growled.

"Give me a sec, Natasha. Food is a necessity." She headed toward the agent. _Food_! Taking the tray, she nodded at the agent, who promptly left. She walked back to Natasha and Banner, balancing the tray on one hand. She saw the exasperated look Natasha was giving her. _Heh_. _Whoops_. She set the tray down on the table.

"As I was saying..." Natasha was cut off _again_ by a crash coming from the direction of the Control Center. "Are you _kidding_ me?" She whipped her hand back to her earpiece. "Director, do you copy?" There was a short pause. "He hacked the systems _again_?" She sighed. "Where is he going?" Another pause. "He's heading _here_?" Her voice changed. "Understood, Director. Over and out. She turned to Sam. "Brace yourself. This guy's insane."

"Who-?" The door smashed open (again!). Any words Sam had died in her throat.

Before them, in all of his smirking, goateed glory, stood Tony Stark.

_What. The. Hell. _

* * *

**A/N: Hi! I'm sorry to leave you all hanging like this, but I'm afraid that the update schedule for this story is going to have to slow down quite a bit-my chapter buffer is running low. I'll try to update around once a week, but there's no telling how consistent I'll be... Sorry again! **

**But still, please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry for the wait!**

"Stark. What on earth are you doing here?" Natasha's voice was more annoyed than anything else.

"Well, Nat, I was wondering the same thing about her." He said, pointing at Sam. _Say what?_ "You've got a 16-year-old on board. Care to explain? Oh, hey Bruce. Didn't see you there." Banner nodded, giving a little wave.

"Who we have on board the Helicarrier is SHIELD's business, Stark. I suggest you leave before-"

"Before what? Before you go all ninja-assassin on me? After all we've been through together?" Stark placed a hand against his chest dramatically. "Anyways, why is our friend Sam here on the Floating Fortress of Doom?"

"Hold the non-existent phone. How on Earth do you know my name? And-" Sam, having finally found her voice, was interrupted.

"Of all the things you could have asked, you go for 'How on Earth do you know my name?' Why not 'What are you doing here?' or 'How are you so amazingly awesome?'" He paused. "Anyways, to answer your question, I got bored. Decided to hack SHIELD and find out every dirty secret that Nick Fury has to offer. Found out that someone had destroyed the detention center, saw your name, and got interested."

"You got bored and decided to hack the world's greatest covert security network? For _fun_?" Natasha sounded almost amused, with a touch (ok, maybe more than a touch) of annoyed on the side. "Ok, I'm not exactly surprised, but still."

"Wait a minute. So all of you people know each other? And I'm suddenly feeling left out..." Sam said, still reeling a little.

"You got that right, Sammie girl. Bruce, Nat, Legolas, a couple of other people and I helped save the world. Haven't you heard?" He seemed honestly surprised.

"Not you, too. She's trying to sell me this 'aliens invaded' crap, and I'm not buying it. You say you fought them?"

"Yeah. It happened, and we won. And New York is currently standing only because of me."

Sam blinked. "Ok, that's a little self-centered, even for you. And until you can show me a wrecked and smoking NYC, I still don't believe you. And since I sincerely doubt that Super-Spy Eyepatch Guy will let me off this _thing_ without an escort of a small army, we aren't going anywhere."

"Super-Spy Eyepatch Guy? I normally go with Dread Pirate Roberts, but that works, too. Also, you said we aren't going anywhere?" He grinned. "Challenge accepted."

"Woah. No, no, nonono! I know that look. Tony..." Banner stepped forward. "You're planning something."

"_Really_ now? You think I would? Honestl-yeah, you're right. We're going to see a wrecked and smoking New York. C'mon, Sam!" He grabbed her wrist and started dragging her toward the door... Only to be blocked by an angry red headed assassin.

"If you think you're going _anywhere_ with her, you are far more naive than I thought you were. And how were you planning to get out of here in the first place?"

"The very same way I got in, Nat. Did you wonder about that? And besides, I can always make another hole in the wall. Or, well, in this case, the window. Bill me." He let go of Sam's wrist, tapping a decidedly not-watch on his wrist, then returning his hand to her wrist. A faint rumbling sounded from outside the window.

"What's that?" Sam asked, albeit a little apprehensively. She wrenched her wrist from his grasp.

"Oh, nothing. Just our ride." A blur of red and gold crashed through the window. "Sam, meet the Mark 7." And with that, the Iron Man suit attached

itself to Stark, he grabbed her waist, and then jumped out of the hole in the window.

* * *

"Director Fury?" Natasha's hand jumped back to her earpiece. "Director Fury, do you copy? Stark has left with our interrogatee."

The Director's voice sounded over the earpiece with a burst of static._ "He __**what?**__"_

"He crashed through the window with the Mark 7, grabbed her, and jumped out the window with her. He's heading toward New York. Is there anything else you need clarification on?" She paused. "With permission, sir, I would like to follow them."

"Take Barton with you. And Banner. If she's going to be taken back to base, she might as well meet as many of you as possible."

"Yes, sir. Should I pick up Rogers on the way?" Natasha was already walking out the door, beckoning for Banner to follow her.

_"Go ahead and do that, Agent."_

* * *

"OHMYGODAREYOUINSANE?" Sam had to scream over the wind.

"Jury's out!" The mechanized version of Stark's voice sounded out cheerfully from behind the helmet. "And besides, you had asked to see New York! This was the quickest way to get there!"

"So you just grab a 16-year-old and jump out of a window? A 16-year-old who does _not_ have a flying suit to keep her from plummeting to her death? What happens if you drop me?"

"Oh, you mean like this?" The metal arm around her loosened, and Sam found herself hurtling through open air.

_Ohshitohshitohshitohshit..._ Sam felt her stomach being quickly pushed up into her throat, and her heart was hammering out a pattern against her ribcage. Her thoughts were scrambled, not being able to concentrate in the slightest. She looked around wildly, searching for a sign of red and gold in the clear blue sky. _There!_ The Iron Man suit was rocketing toward her... Then it bolted _past_ her. Then Sam realized something... _She wasn't falling._

She was standing (hovering?) comfortably about 100 feet from where the suit was. Her focus wobbled, and just like someone who ran off a cliff in an old cartoon, plummeted as soon as she realized where she was. Thankfully, she only dropped about 30 feet before she came in contact with cold and (very) hard metal arms.

"Jarvis, analyze Sam's molecular makeup in the past 30 seconds, will you?" Stark's voice was slightly shocked. "Hey, Sammie? So you don't have a flying suit, but you can fly anyway? And you didn't tell me?"

"If I knew I could fly, I wouldn't be in your arms right now, would I?" Sam replied dryly. "And besides, I didn't know I could do that. Only smaller stuff."

They stopped in midair. "Say what? You knew you could do that?"

"No. I know I could do other stuff, like make fire and move random pens. Did you not read my file? You said you did..."

"I read like the first two sentences. You were 16 and destroyed stuff. Then I went out and decided to meet you. And, well, you know the rest! So you can do... What, exactly? To make the fire and the pen move?" He sounded genuinely interested. "Don't tell me it's magic, I've had enough with Thor and his physics-defying hammer, that thing drives me crazy." They started flying forward again.

"Who?"

"Nevermind. So what can you do?"

"Well, I can essentially manipulate molecules and atoms around me. I vibrated the air molecules to create flame, and moved the substance of the pen from the table across the room to my hand. I used to be able to change them, like from air molecules so leather and steel. But I can't anymore, I guess that was a bonus of having a creepy voice in your head, along with the weird blue eyes."

"Wait. You were being possesed?"

"That was what happened when I destroyed the Detention Center. And also the interrogation room. And also also when I fought Natasha. Are you _sure_ you read my file at _all_?"

"Yes, I-Oh, wait." Tony hushed Sam for a bit. "Give me a sec. Ok, Jarv. What've we got?" He paused for a bit. "Thanks a lot, Jarv. Betrayed by my own creation."

"Can I interject here?" Sam resurfaced from her temporary silence. "You are talking to yourself? Or your suit? Or a bluetooth? Or something? I'm extremely confused..."

"He's Jarvis. He-"

"OH MY GOD LOOK AT NEW YORK! WHAT THE HELL!?" They had finally reached the city. It was halfway destroyed, especially around Stark Tower. "What happened to your tower? All it has is the A of STARK left! And... GAH! WHAT THE FREAK HAPPENED!?"

"I reserve all rights to say 'I told you so'. I told you so. There."

"Alien invasion, huh? Who woulda guessed?" Sam, extremely shocked, retreated into ultra-sarcastic-mode. "So you shot the Lizards on Flying Jet Skis and they went back into the portal, and no one else did anything? After all," she said, mimicking him, "'_You_ were the one to save New York', so what did everyone else on the team do? Stand around drinking slushies?"

"Well, they fought the army. I flew the nuke into the portal, thereby keeping the city standing. Capiche?" He flew down to the city. "Anyways, I can't take you much of anywhere or I'll have a angry redhead with my name on her hit list."

"Don't you think that by grabbing me, then jumping out of a window, that you are already pretty high on that list?"

She could practically hear his smirk. "You would be surprised. Anyways, I've got a couple people I'd like you to meet."

Before she knew it, they were setting down on the roof of Stark Tower. _STARK. TOWER._ Sam was practically shaking with excitement. "So who are we meeting?"

"I think you already know most of them..." The suit retracted from his body, leaving him in jeans and an AC/DC t-shirt with the Arc Reactor glowing underneath it. "Jarvis, could you see how far our friends are from arriving? Please don't tell me that they stopped for drive-thru again..."

_"Well, sir, the Quinjet is currently in Brooklyn, picking up Captain Rogers."_ Sam jumped. A posh British voice emanated from the wall. _"The remainder of your team, save Mr. Odinson, is also on board. They should be here in five to ten minutes. Will that be all?"_

"Thanks, Jarv. Tell me when they get to the roof, will ya?"

_"Of course, sir."_

"The house is talking. Why is the house talking? Houses do not talk." Sam was admittedly stuttering, shocked. "Mr. Stark. Why is the house talking? And why does he sound like a butler?"

"Well, first off, call me Tony. Mr. Stark was my father. And that voice is Jarvis, my AI butler. He runs this tower, the house in Malibu, and each of the Iron Man suits."

"...And that explains why you were talking to your suit right before we saw New York. Ok, then. Jarvis stand for anything in particular?"

"Yup. It's 'Just A Rather Very Intelligent System'. Genius, I know." He took a mock bow. "Thank you, thank you."

Sam snorted. "That _does _sounds like an acronym you would make." She looked around, wincing slightly at the crater in the floor by the bar. "Do I even want to know what happened here?" She asked, pointing.

"That, my dear Watson, is a memory of the Battle of Manhattan. Hulk didn't like the leader's attitude, and decided that he would make an excellent replacement for a rag doll. I'm thinking of having it preserved and getting a plaque laid in the floor. Think it would be a nice touch, don't you?"

Jarvis's voice sounded from the walls again. _"Sir, the Quinjet is on the roof. I would suggest meeting our guests there, with Ms. Johnson."_

Tony cocked an eyebrow. "Shall we?" They walked back outside, and Sam saw the Quinjet. It was essentially a plane, but think high-tech army stealth plane. Very super-secret spy-ish.

Her eyes widened when she saw who exited the plane. Natasha, Banner, Barton, Director Fury, and... Some random (very buff!) clean-shaven blonde guy. "So... Am I in trouble? 'Cause technically, you grabbed me..." She muttered.

"Nah, you'll be fine." He muttered back. Then, in a louder voice: "Hiya, Nick! How's life?"

"The charade's over, Mr. Stark. Get over here."

Tony patted Sam on the back cheerfully, then walked over. "I got her here, she knows what happened, and she knows who we are. So are you going to tell her or not?"

"Tell me what?" Sam asked warily. "And I don't know all of you. Who's blondie?"

"Captain Steve Rogers, Samantha Johnson. Ms. Johnson, Captain Rogers. Also known as Captain America."

The man in question gave a little wave. "Ma'am."

"You're Captain America? As in 1940s WWII Captain America with the shield?"

"That would be me, yes."

Sam snickered. She couldn't help it. "You're Captain Ultimate Frisbee Guy!" He looked taken aback, then wary, as if not sure if he had been insulted or not.

Tony jumped in. "I knew I liked you for a reason!"

Nick Fury interrupted. "Ms. Johnson. I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."

* * *

**A/N: I return! This chapter is probably one of my favorites, if only because Tony is so fun to write. Anyways, please review, if only saying 'it was good' that will still make my day! Please!? **


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